What are your controversial marching arts opinions?

[Hrothgar15]

4 minutes ago, Box5Opinion said:

Whether it's removing the tick system,expanding the percussion section, using horns - non G bugles, trombone, electronics, mics, expanding from the traditional 128  number to 165 marcing members, voice or narration, drum corp is evolving with the times. The cats out of the bag. All of the corps will have to adapt with current trends to stay relevant. Some corps will thrive and other fall to the wayside. It all depends on the staff, the musicians and guard members to executive thier provided show and how the judges react to what they hear and see on the field on any given day.  Just my 2 cents! 

I don’t get it. Was drum corps not “with the times” in 1980 (when a top corps played a pop chart from the year before as their opener, on G bugles)? It’s not like marching bands didn’t start using trombones until 2014. It’s not a “current trend,” it’s just a thing marching bands have always done.

What would you say is different about “the times” now that drum corps is finally catching up to?

Edited July 13, 2022 by Hrothgar15

[Box5Opinion]

2 minutes ago, Hrothgar15 said:

I don’t get it. Was drum corps not “with the times” in 1980 (when a top corps played a pop chart from the year before as their opener, on G bugles)? It’s not like marching bands didn’t start using trombones until 2014. It’s not a “current trend,” it’s just a thing marching bands have always done.

That's the point, drum corp is evolving and some people seem to be clinging to what they remembered from the past. The times have changed, all I ask that they do it well. 

 

[Cappybara]

5 minutes ago, Hrothgar15 said:

I don’t get it. Was drum corps not “with the times” in 1980 (when a top corps played a pop chart from the year before as their opener, on G bugles)? It’s not like marching bands didn’t start using trombones until 2014. It’s not a “current trend,” it’s just a thing marching bands have always done.

What would you say is different about “the times” now that drum corps is finally catching up to?

The majority of the audience has the attention of a peanut thanks to things like Tik Tok and Instagram that prioritize bite sized information over comprehensive and deeply informative forms of media. As a result, the shows have evolved to get with the times and match that attention span. Short musical statements switching into a new one abruptly, loud chords, flashy moments, dance breaks, etc all to maintain the audience’s crappy attention spans
 

I’m no exception. While I don’t mess with Tik Tok, I definitely have less of an attention span than I did in high school just prior to when smartphones and social media became the norm. 

[Hrothgar15]

8 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

The majority of the audience has the attention of a peanut thanks to things like Tik Tok and Instagram that prioritize bite sized information over comprehensive and deeply informative forms of media. As a result, the shows have evolved to get with the times and match that attention span. Short musical statements switching into a new one abruptly, loud chords, flashy moments, dance breaks, etc all to maintain the audience’s crappy attention spans
 

I’m no exception. While I don’t mess with Tik Tok, I definitely have less of an attention span than I did in high school just prior to when smartphones and social media became the norm. 

I love Twitter and TikTok as much as the next person but when I go to see a drum corps perform a few pieces of music in 11 minutes I expect each one to last longer than 12 seconds. Thankfully there are a few corps doing that this year (Crown and Phantom come to mind). Do you honestly think that is alienating modern audiences?

I really don’t think that type of design has anything to do with attention spans, I think it has to do with designers having the same idea of the role sound should play in both DCI and WGI: effects that support the visuals.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Hrothgar15

[Box5Opinion]

8 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

The majority of the audience has the attention of a peanut thanks to things like Tik Tok and Instagram that prioritize bite sized information over comprehensive and deeply informative forms of media. As a result, the shows have evolved to get with the times and match that attention span. Short musical statements switching into a new one abruptly, loud chords, flashy moments, dance breaks, etc all to maintain the audience’s crappy attention spans
 

I’m no exception. While I don’t mess with Tik Tok, I definitely have less of an attention span than I did in high school just prior to when smartphones and social media became the norm. 

I agree with everything Cappybara is saying. It's that some corp are doing better than others.  

[Lance]

8 minutes ago, Hrothgar15 said:

I don’t get it. Was drum corps not “with the times” in 1980 (when a top corps played a pop chart from the year before as their opener, on G bugles)? It’s not like marching bands didn’t start using trombones until 2014. It’s not a “current trend,” it’s just a thing marching bands have always done.

What would you say is different about “the times” now that drum corps is finally catching up to?

Jordan, you choose not to get it because the only thing that's important to you is instrumentation and show design that matches what made you fall in love with drum corps.  It's great that you know what you like and you want more of it.  And you truly think that 2 valve g instruments and pure drill could still be competitive in 2022, and it's simply not correct. I don't blame people for giving up on trying to explain to you why they would not.  It's your choice to inflate what you happen to like with that which is objectively good or bad, and it really comes off as condescending....and I am pretty much in lock step with liking the same things you like.  It's weird to treat people who like the product they see on the field today like they're "wrong" because they don't want to see more of what you happen to love.  Super cringe. 

Your next step will be to bring up the Marine D&B, and you still won't understand that no, the product they put on the field, entertaining as it is to you and me, would not be competitive using the sheets that judges use in 2022.  Those amazing performers absolutely could do it, but that's not their mission.  Never has been, and never will be.  Sorry for the dose of cold water, but it needed to be said. 

[Box5Opinion]

There was probably lots of disgruntled drum corp viewers in 88/89 with SCV doing Phantom of the Opera (how dare they) or I know that 93 Star of Indiana had lots of people talking, but there was no social media at the time. Did the best show win those year? I will let the judges decide that. I am just an audience member watching a show. 

[NewArpege]

I’d love to see drill visuals and complexity get a standalone scoring category to promote emphasis on marching. Complex formations and speed should get higher values. 

[ediblewaffles]

On 7/12/2022 at 4:54 PM, Red3 said:

Hot take - drum corps and really high-level competitive marching bands are essentially the same thing.

I don't know if we can even call this a hot take anymore. I may or may not have skipped a Friday in school to go to BOA San Antonio and watch. The best groups are musically outstanding that I was partially glad our band decided not to go for the first time in 15-ish years. Take Hebron's hornline and colorguard + a movement or two + spring training= a decent open class corps

[Precious Roy]

I propose a sub-division of "SoundSport" called "Classic Field Shows" (or just "Classic"):

• Performed on the standard 100-yard field
• No props, other than guard flags and other "spinnables"
• No amplification or other electronics
• Instrumentation would be limited to any brass (any key), and any percussion
• Scoring sheets that emphasize drill form mastery and marching precision, rather than "staging" and "simultaneous demand" (do all the bug squashing you want, but its not going to increase your visual score)
• Show performance and touring model closer to DCA (primarily weekend shows, except for finals week)  

Benefits:

• Lower costs makes it more accessible for start-up groups.
• Gives current SoundSport participants a potential bridge to DCI Open Class.
• Gives current low budget Open Class corps a lower cost option to remain in the activity without having to go down to the current SoundsSport division.
• Gives 21U participants a chance to perform on a less intensive schedule (like DCA), but with other like-aged individuals.
• Nostalgia factor for the DCI dinos.

I'm not talking going back to G-bugles, tic-scoring, and symmetric drills. But surely there's some elements of drum corps that we can go back to to satisfy the more seasoned curmudgeons, while also leaving enough flexibility to allow artistic innovation within those "old school" elements.